Another mock draft has the Oklahoma City Thunder taking Washington center Isaiah Stewart.
The Ringer’s Kevin O’Connor slotted Stewart in at the No. 25 pick in his mock draft that was released Tuesday.
Stewart, who played a traditional center game at Washington, is just 6-foot-9 but weighs 250 pounds and has a 7-foot-4 wingspan.
He averaged 17 points, 8.8 rebounds and 2.1 blocks per game in his sole season with the Huskies.
O’Connor’s report is different than many who do mock drafts. Instead of using paragraphs to explain the players’ styles, he simply makes lists of their good and bad qualities on the court.
Here are three of the six positives he listed for Stewart:
- High-motor big who runs hard on the break. He frequently beats defenses up the floor, and displays great coordination on finishes.
- Savvy post scorer who displays a wide range of moves, including drop steps, face-ups, and up-and-unders from either side of the block.
- Battles hard in the paint, using his broad shoulders to seal off defenders and seize close positioning.
And here are two of the four negatives:
- Lacks explosiveness, which hinders his ability to finish inside on rolls or second-chance opportunities. He’ll need to master touch finishes.
- Poor passer who looks to shoot too often with the ball in his hands. When he does pass, it’s often inaccurate or forced through traffic.
Oklahoma City would look to Stewart as a potential center option for the future, as Nerlens Noel is an unrestricted free agent and Steven Adams only has one more season left on his contract.
Stewart would try to show he’s able to bang around with the dominant Western Conference bigs down low. It’s also worth wondering if he can shoot from deep; he made more than 40% of his 3s as a senior in high school, and hit 77% of his free throws at Washington.
The 2020 draft date is unclear, as ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski reported that it might be pushed back to November.
[lawrence-related id=437630,437558,437316]